Brooklyn Measles Outbreak Shows How Dangerous Misguided Anti-Vaxxers Can Be

An outbreak of measles that started back in March has sickened 58 people in a small group of families who had not vaccinated their children. Two pregnant women became sick, and one miscarried her child, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Measles is a preventable disease. The outbreak was started by someone who had recently visited London, where there is a large measles outbreak, then returned to the densely populated community with the virus.

The communities have had problems with preventable infectious diseases before, including a mumps outbreak that sickened 3,000 in 2009.

Rabbis in the community are reaching out to families to ensure they get their kids vaccinated, so delayed vaccinations are likely a result of the growing anti-vaccine movement, fueled by anti-vaxxers, who ignore the science behind vaccinations and endanger people’s lives because of it. You might think that it’s your kid and your decision, but if infected with a virus they can spread that virus to people who are either too young to be vaccinated, or who don’t have a healthy enough immune system to be vaccinated.

Vaccination rates have to be about 95% to get this herd immunity, and when anti-vaccine thoughts spread the vaccination rates can drop below this level especially in small communities.

14 COMMENTS

This article is full of false information and misleading propaganda.
Firstly the Mumps outbreak of a few years ago -Nearly everyone who had contracted the Mumps in that outbreak had been vaccinated so it was a vaccine failure.
Secondly in order to achieve herd immunity you need 70% – 80% percent vaccination rates not 95%
Thirdly Most people who contract Measles recover without any lasting effects so the 2.7 million death claim is outrageous.
Those who view the purported safety of childhood vaccination programs with skepticism should not be disparaged as “anti vaxxers” who “ignore science”. There is plenty of science and factual evidence out there to support a serious reevaluation of vaccine safety and the current regimen whereby vaccines are approved for use and after the fact are evaluated for safety based on the adverse events reporting system. This is not allowed for any other pharmaceutical compound and neither is immunity against lawsuits granted to any pharmaceutical company for their products other than vaccine manufacturers.

“Nearly everyone who had contracted the Mumps in that outbreak had been vaccinated so it was a vaccine failure.”

This is false information and misleading propaganda. Even an actual case of mumps does not guarantee lifetime immunity. I had a friend in college who had had the mumps four times! Since vaccines at best give the same protection as an actual case of the disease, there was no failure. The mumps vaccine dramatically reduces the transmission rate and is therefore worthwhile. (Did you know that mumps can cause sterility?)

“Most people who contract Measles recover without any lasting effects”

True. But one out of every 500 who get measles dies. There is no cure, no treatment. But the vaccine offers lifetime immunity. And by not vaccinating you not only endanger yourselves, you endanger every infant who is too young to be vaccinated.

Unvaccinated kids should not be allowed into a Yeshiva until they get vaccinated. Klal Yisroel listens to the daas of the Doctors – anyone who thinks they can do a better hishtadlus then listening to doctors is a fool.